Palaeoscientist Lee Berger wowed the world in 2015, when he unveiled possible human ancestor Homo naledi and a treasure trove of skeletons in the Dinaledi Cave, in the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng. Berger, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, was also responsible for the discovery of Australopithecus sediba in 2008 – another hominin.

While there has been controversy about the Homo naledi find – from the scientific community, with question marks over the researchers’ conclusions, and from South African society at large, where the announcement sparked a race row – there is no doubt Berger has remarkable talent. He makes finding hominin fossils, some of the most rare and precious artefacts on Earth, look easy.

pArticipate has featured an excerpt from the book, in which Wild tells the story of the development of the CoroCAM, a device that detects electrical current leaks in the transmission lines that traverse South Africa.

The device was developed by Roel Stolper at the CSIR after he was contacted by Wallace Vosloo from Eskom. He devised a way to make the ultraviolet light visible so that defective insulators can be fixed.

Read the excerpt:

Finding Fault

It all started with a phone call that was forwarded through to Roel Stolper by chance. It was 1992, an that conversation – between Stolper, a researcher at the CSIR, and Eskom’s Wallace Vosloo – and their subsequent research collaboration have saved the power utility millions of rands and created a multimillion-rand business.

Vosloo had a problem: he was completing his docyorate in the use of different insulators on transmission lines – they sometimes look like a collection of stacked side plate or an upside-down bell that connect the powerline to the pole or pylon – but he could not see the effects of the insulator, whether the current was leaking out, or determine how it was ageing.

Wild, who works with Africa Check, looks at the facts and writes: “While experts agree that South Africa is one of the countries with the highest irradiation in the world, taking advantage of its solar resource relies on many factors, most notably cost.”

Read the article to see how she came to that conclusion:

If even dim-witted cartoon character Homer Simpson thinks it’s a bad idea for South Africa to build another nuclear power station — when the country is the “third best solar location in the world” — then why is the country’s government pursuing it?

Environmental campaigning organisation Greenpeace Africa argued this by posting an image of Homer Simpson hitting his forehead with his hand on its Facebook page to encourage followers to sign an anti-nuclear petition.

“Do you also feel a #facepalm moment coming on when you think of South Africa’s crazy #nuclear plans?” the caption read. Nearly 13 000 followers had shared the picture in the last month.

But how does one rank countries according to solar location? And is South Africa indeed in third place?

Sarah Wild, one of South Africa’s leading science journalists and author of Innovation: Shaping South Africa through Science, recently took part in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), in which Reddit users sign in to ask the participant any question they like.

The interview was hosted on the channel dedicated to South Africa, with questions ranging from “Why is science so badly reported in South Africa?” and “What is the most exciting science developments you think South Africans should look forward to in the next five years?” to “How would one go about getting their book published in South Africa?” and “How senile is Tim Noakes really?”

Read the AMA to see how Wild answered these pressing questions:

What is the level of cooperation between scientists and the media in South Africa?

Are you satisfied with the level of communication between scientists and journalists?

Is there something like a “professional scientists’ press club” – a collection of go-to scientists in different fields that journalists can contact in case of an applicable story breaking?

Is it easy for scientists to suggest a story to journalists? Typically, a scientist will know about an interesting event long before the media catches on.

Different people have different experiences of this. I understand some scientists are very suspicious of journalists because they have been burned by the experience of interacting with them.

I have never had that problem, and I know that my science journalist colleagues have very good relationships with scientists in this country.

So, 1. I am satisfied with my communication with scientists, but I can’t speak to general reporters. 2. There is an association: South African Science Journalists Association (for journos and comms). But the South African science space is relatively small. It is not difficult to pick up a phone and find a specialist. 3. Scientists often contact me with stories — papers that they are publishing, problems they have, etc. But that is the result of years of relationship building.

Innovation: Shaping South Africa through Science is also available in Afrikaans as Innovasie: Hoe wetenskap Suid-Afrika vorm. It was published in August and celebrates all the science and innovation happening in South Africa right now, addressing real problems on the ground and helping people in South Africa to live healthier, happier lives.